Violence linked to early signs of blood vessel disease in women

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/aha-vlt022416.php

Public Release: 3-Mar-2016
Violence linked to early signs of blood vessel disease in women
American Heart Association Meeting Report Abstract P202
American Heart Association

Experiencing physical violence in adulthood may increase the risk of women developing heart and blood-vessel disease, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology/Lifestyle 2016 Scientific Sessions.

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Worldwide, violence against women is a critical problem. It is established that experiencing violence can cause depression, substance abuse and other disorders in women, its possible effects on heart and blood vessel disease are a new area of research.

In this study from Mexico, researchers found that women who had experienced physical violence as adults were more than one and a half times more likely to have narrowing of the main blood vessels in the neck that carry blood to the brain, compared to women who had not experienced violence. This narrowing is an early sign of increased risk for stroke. A leading cause of death and disability, a stroke occurs when the blood vessels to the brain either become blocked by fatty substances or burst, preventing blood flow to the brain.

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